Chatham pool is a drain on borough's finances

With declining membership and aging facilities, Memorial Pool in Chatham has presented borough officials with a costly conundrum.

The pool, which is supposed to be a self-funded utility, is currently running at a $24,166 deficit. The shortfall is requiring taxpayers to partially fund the maintenance and repairs of the pool, which is located behind the public library off of South Passaic Avenue in the borough.

Photo by Cowell-ZieglerTeagan Richichi, 5, John Shubeck, 5, Winston Roos, 5, and Nicky Sullivan, 5, patiently wait their turn with lifeguard and swim instructor, Jon Bender, at the Chatham Community Pool Carnival on July 16.

For some borough officials, however, the deficit is less concerning than the worsening state of the pool and what, if any, steps should be taken to improve it.

"Slowly but surely, it's just rotting away," said Councilman James Lonergan at a council meeting last week.

Although some say major renovations at the relatively small pool and adjacent kiddie pool are unnecessary, othere contend Memorial Pool, with its $60 yearly membership cost, should be fixed. They say Memorial Pool provides an affordable option for residents unable to foot the bill for the pools at the upscale Minisink Swim Club and Chatham Fish and Game Protective Association.

"As a single mom of two young girls living and owning a home in Chatham since 1998, there are limited choices as to what is affordable for a pool in our community," said resident Martha Yampaglia in an email.

The 25-meter pool with a concrete deck has been repeatedly patched and re-patched, Borough Engingeer Vince DeNave said at the meeting.

Rumors that the nearly 50-year-old pool would be permanently shuttered began circulating earlier this summer. Although there are no plans to do so, officials briefly closed the children's wading pool after they discovered a leak eariler this summer.

"We put the water in and it drained right back out," said Recreation Director Carol Nauta.
Although the council agreed to fund the $4,750 repair, many worried the leak was indicative of greater problems to come.

"Over the years, keeping the pool in tip-top shape has been a challenge," said Councilman Bruce Harris. "The fear is that, something will break that cannot be inexpensively repaired."

Compounding the problem is the pool's declining revenue and membership. Last year, 330 individuals joined the pool, bringing in $18,430 - hardly enough to cover the pool's $42,596 operating expenses. So far this year, only 238 residents have joined.

The council voted earlier this year to hike membership fees from $50 to $60 in order to cover part of the deficit.

Municipal swimming pool funding has been problematic for other Morris County towns in recent years. Earlier this year, Florham Park officials decided to postpone substantial improvements to its pool, later discovering that a severe dip in membership put the pool, also a utility, on shaky financial ground.

Two years ago, Randolph residents battled over and eventually defeated a $5.5 million plan to construct a municipal pool, sparking an ugly debate among residents.

Chatham officials insisted they wanted to avoid a similar conflict. A committee of officials and residents has been formed to gather opinions and ideas about how to proceed with the pool and adjacent ball field owned by the borough, which is also in poor condition.

At last week's meeting, council members discussed the possibility of also sending a survey out to residents to gauge opinions on the matter.

Lonergan, the council liaison to the pool and field committee, supported the idea.